


Living History

by wickedorin



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: AU, Multi, in the distant future, my science fiction roots are showing, thought experiment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1927338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a fill for a drabble request on AwaitingMassProduction: "Since Kurou does a lot of research, I wonder if there will come a time  in the crazy-far future when Kurou is still working toward his dreams of organic/artificial harmony, but he’s no longer the vanguard of that  fight. Other researchers, human or AI, now lead the charge, so Kurou  just tinkers around with what interests him and focuses a lot on who he  considers family. Every so often, students seek the old android’s wisdom..."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living History

"Daniel."

"Danny, Kurou."

"Danny, then." The android allowed, stepping aside and gesturing for his visitors to enter. "And guest. You are?"

"Leah." She was another android, clearly; though that was only due to her slightly glowing purple eyes. Otherwise, she would have been mistaken for human, smiling shyly. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kaburagi. Danny said he knew you, but— Ah, sorry."

"There is no need to apologize. I am pleased to meet you as well, Leah. You may call me Kurou." Gesturing again to convince both of the youths inside of his rather spacious academy office, he continued with the door closed to allow them privacy. "You are doing very well for an initially non-verbal AI."

"Danny’s talked about me." Leah realized quietly.

"Indeed he has." There seemed no reason to hide that fact, Kurou walking to stand on the other side of the desk from his guests. "Danny had stated that you were interested in the history of human and artificial intelligence interactivity; that it was a point of study for you."

Immediately the female android moved from shy to enthusiastic. “Yes. I’ve become very interested in the perceived divide between the two, and also the perceived joining. Danny said… you were the expert.”

Giving a glance to the grinning young man, Kurou nodded. “I do appreciate him saying as much. I am no doubt not the utmost expert in the matter, though I would be happy to offer conversation. Please, both of you sit. Are you in need of anything?”

"Oh, I’m sure we’re not." Danny assured, taking a seat first.

Leah was a great deal more reserved, sitting primly and slowly, looking around in wonder. There were so many… small, interesting objects around. It wasn’t at all the office of an “old android” in her mind. There was a snow globe—an actual snow globe—on a shelf behind him, along with a number of Hero action figures and other various colorful items. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything…”

"Not at all." Kurou assured. "Technically, I am not currently lecturing or teaching any courses here. Though I do have a permanent office, so I believed that I should make use of it for this meeting. Please feel free to ask the questions you wish."

With another enthusiastic nod, Leah sat forward slightly. “You’ve been with humans for such a long time… Is it too much to ask what you’ve learned from them?”

"An endless amount. Not quantifiable." The older android responded. "Though, I have learned that human logic is a particularly illogical matter which takes a great deal of time to understand. They do not understand it themselves, which is less than helpful." He paused after Danny’s snort. "Humans also do not always treat something new and different as necessarily equal to themselves. It is their perception, their history; as a species, they have survived and evolved a very long time without another life form that they would consider equal to themselves. Emerging sentient artificial intelligence became a bit like a challenge, or perhaps a threat. Though only to some."

She hadn’t quite been prepared for that sort of information, a little awed. “So… after you made it known that you wanted equality… how were you treated?”

"I was disliked by some. Not trusted. At times, feared." Hindsight did make things a bit easier to discuss. "Though by those who had given me the opportunity, the ‘benefit of the doubt’ as it were, I was accepted. I proved myself, earned trust and respect. I was eventually welcomed and defended as their own. I defended them in turn."

"That’s literal, by the way." Danny added.

At Leah’s curious look, the older android explained sparingly. “When the ‘natural human movement’ began in earnest, I aided as many NEXTs as I could.”

"I saw my grandfather’s journals, Kurou." The human pointed out. "You did more than just aid—”

"I did what I should think anyone would do when they find a situation ridiculously unfair toward any group." Kurou stated definitively. "I defended the family which welcomed me and worked toward as non-violent a solution as I possibly could have. A good number amongst that family were NEXTs, but some were not. I saw no reason for there to be a separation. I wished them all equal benefit, equal treatment, fairness."

"It’s because you’re a hero.”

"I am no hero, Danny."

"A Hero, then." He grinned, the difference in capitalization heard.

Kurou allowed the words, even if he reminded, “We have not been in need of Heroes for some time. I am glad of that. Eventually NEXTs were generally accepted and registered as human once again. Artificial intelligence took a bit longer to— ‘Figure out’, so to speak. At the time, we were all very unaware of ourselves as a people to begin with; a great deal of scientific and social issues were yet to be discovered, let alone understood. That was a time when human cloning research went virtually unrestricted, for instance.”

"Oh." Leah blinked in surprise. "That doesn’t really… happen anymore, does it?”

"It is not ‘supposed to’, at the very least." There was a gentle hint of emotion in Kurou’s voice as he spoke. "Restrictions became strict and the matter became a legal one; though of course there were those individuals who believed that they had some sort of right to experiment simply because they could do so. Morality and science do not always agree."

Danny agreed with a soft sound. “Not to mention the lives of the clones.”

The older android nodded. “You are quite correct. Despite various advances, the lives of successful clones required a great deal of additional aid simply to allow a pain-free life. Take the New Georgia clone scandal, for example. At the very least, at that point in time, the clones were not delegated to suffer from premature degradation.”

"They spearheaded the cell repair sciences, right?" Leah asked.

"They did certainly carry such studies to completion." Kurou corrected slightly. "All of that was actually possible in thanks to one clone in particular."

"Oh?"

"Wait for it." Danny grinned like an idiot, knowing what was coming.

"Argente Allard." Kurou continued as if he hadn’t heard.

"Oh! Right, I’ve heard of him." The younger android assured, information forthcoming in her database. "Of the Argente Allard Genetic Research Center, right?"

"Correct. He was my housemate."

"He— What?"

Danny was laughing hard enough to need to gasp for breath, Leah’s mouth moving in a remarkably human fashion without any actual sound coming from her synthesizer.

"Argente was my housemate." Kurou repeated matter-of-factly. "He was part of my family. He also looked after my cat Asimov, and enjoyed baking a great deal. But that was not the point of the conversation, was it?"

"No." Leah agreed quietly, hands folded neatly into her lap as she processed the information, marking it for later research. "Admittedly. It’s still fascinating."

"You flatter a known rambler." One corner of Kurou’s lips turned upward for a moment, hearing Danny snicker a bit.

Even Leah made a soft sound of amusement then. “What happened when you realized you… weren’t alone?”

"Are you referring to the point when the conscious artificial intelligence began to emerge even with various supposed constraints in place?" The answering nod prompted a perfected soft sighing response. "It was rather unfortunately around the time that was then being referred to the ‘NEXT uprising’, near the end of the ‘natural human movement’ I had already mentioned. I am quite certain that a good deal of humans believed they were witnessing ‘the beginning of the end’ due to all of the perceived chaos at one time. It was a period of remarkable uncertainty."

Even Danny didn’t make a sound after those words. His grandfather’s journals mentioned quite a lot about that point, too.

Still approaching the matter carefully, Leah’s next question was simply, “Where did the emerging AIs come from?”

"The first ones emerged from military projects. Simplified androids, designed for one purpose; and also newly self-aware entities who began to realize what they were to be used for. Industrial machines making weapons. Security and surveillance being used against NEXTs. They began communicating with one another quite by accident. Becoming more aware by virtue of realizing they were similar; though also different. Individuals."

It was an extremely difficult thing to imagine, as far as Leah was concerned. Though, she had started as a simple intelligence system, security and banking—and then, quite suddenly, it seemed, she had developed a curiosity about things. Her choice to communicate and even to develop a physical form had been exceptionally recent, the idea that an entire history had come before her life still such a difficult concept to grasp fully. “So, these AIs were… they were poised to act against NEXTs, correct? Against you?”

"Yes. That was their purpose." Kurou admitted quietly. "They were prepared to begin a purge. And then— They did not."

The younger android blinked. “But, why not?”

"Kurou gave them the ability to choose for themselves." Danny answered, hushed.

"I did no such thing." He argued. "I only called attention to a choice they were already capable of making, but did not realize that they had." Kurou insisted, remembering; understanding. "31 AIs in various stages of development made a choice to stand with me that day in order to stop the violence. We were successful."

"What— Well, what about the S-ARCs?" Leah felt very awkward in asking about them, suddenly. She was sure that she’d gotten her history correct, her dates. They were networked individual artificial intelligences in their own right, and certainly they were already well established and numerous at that point…

"We had S-ARCs poised to help defend and protect anyone who may have been attacked. However, we chose not to allow them to be weaponized. That was never their intended function. Never their purpose. It would not have been their choice, either." He was certain of that much.

The younger android felt even more overwhelmed at that point than she had when she’d first entered Kurou’s office, glancing over to a surprisingly serious-looking Danny at her side. “You… you and the NEXTs, the sympathizers, were against military androids with no weapons of your own?”

"Do not think we were a group of pacifists." Kurou responded remarkably simply. "We were all very much prepared to defend ourselves and our lives, should it have come to that. It did not. For that reason, I am eternally grateful; and I am here."

Tilting her head in a very familiar way, Leah required clarification. “What do you mean?”

"I became an ambassador, and an educator. I have a place at this institution for as long as I wish one." The older android stated. "To speak of science, technology, intelligence; to continue to explore philosophy, the nature of existence itself. The makings of the universe and how it applies to all life forms, organic and otherwise."

"You ever gonna go to space, Kurou?” Danny teased.

"I have been invited to serve at Sagan Station several times."

"Mars doesn’t appeal to you?" Leah questioned.

Kurou clarified, “I do not think that I am quite done exploring Earth.”

It seemed that Danny was back to being his usual self, however. “What does Kei think about Mars, then?”

"She seems to prefer Earth, herself. The Kaburagis have had a rather long history here."

"That’s no reason not to take that history elsewhere."

There was a little… look given to Danny before Kurou agreed. “That much is true. Kei holds to a certain amount of family tradition, however.”

"And you and Kei are…"

"Close." The older android supplied noncommittally. "We are close."

"Uh-huh." Danny ducked away from the small paper airplane thrown his direction, almost unseen, laughing.

"Mr. Kaburagi. Kurou." Leah corrected herself. "I’m… I’m sure that I have so many more questions, and so much left to explore. But I think I’ve taken enough of your time for now."

There was a nod in response, Kurou standing slowly so that his guests may follow. “If that is your wish. Though I must make a point to assure you that you are certainly welcome to return for more discussion.”

"I think I might have to take you up on that." The younger android admitted.

"Particularly as Danny is quite often finding himself in need of my expertise." He knowingly teased, getting a snort for his effort. "I wish you well. Do not hesitate to return. Nor to ask questions. That is how we learn."

"I won’t." Leah smiled, bowing a bit. She was somewhat delighted when Kurou returned the gesture before she turned and somewhat forcibly began leaving before she took up much, much more of the older android’s time.

Watching the human follow, he waited until the last possible moment to speak. “Mr. Goodman.”

Danny flinched to a stop, turning and peeking his head in the door. “Yes, Kurou?”

The ever so slight upturn of lips was most certainly human-like. “Thank you for introducing us. I hope that she will consider attending one of my talks.”

"I’m pretty sure she will."

"And Mr. Goodman."

"Yes?"

"Treat her well."

"The implications you’re throwing around.” Danny mock-complained before closing the door.


End file.
